[Lincoln with Shawl Statue]

Small standing portrait sculpture of Abraham Lincoln. Figure stands erect and attached to square table base. Lincoln is dressed in a suit and long overcoat and is draped with a fringed shawl covering the shoulders and back. The head is slighty bowed in solemn reflection, and the left leg is positioned forward and bent, demonstrating a shift in stance. Lincoln holds a top hat in his right hand and clutches the lapel of his overcoat in his left hand. Several coats of dark paint have been applied to give the plaster sculpture a finished bronze appearance. Impressed in the base near the left foot is the artist's signature, relatively undecipherable: "Mario So[amand?]; 1937; 50 _". Adhered underneath the base is a newspaper advertisement that may be contemporary to the sculpture. Four large green felt circles were adhered to the base for stabilization.Sculpture by artist who is not completely identified. It could be Marion Sanford (1904-1987), who was known for her bronze bas-reliefs, portraits and figures. Notes from her papers in the Smithsonian indicate her interest in Lincoln as a subject, and there is evidence of a statue commissioned in 1937--about the same time Sanford was establishing a studio. Because the Lincoln figurine is draped with a shawl, it could mean the artist attempted to depict the president while visiting a battlefield during the Civil War. Lincoln's head is bowed slightly, and his hat is carried humbly at his side